Looking Back to Explain the Present

Chris Malford delves into the LeatherWest archives to track the origins of leather life in South Wales from the turn of the century to the present day. He finds an ‘off the radar’ surprise and speaks to local leather guys about the future - one full of confidence.

Despite the growth in numbers, it does appear Bristol’s the location of choice to enjoy one’s leather time. So what about Cardiff as an option for leathermen? To work out what’s happening you have to delve into the archives to see how we got where we are today.

Looking back through the LeatherWest archives the leather community has not been established long enough to provide a solid base of permanency in South Wales. Several efforts have been made in the past though.In 1999, a monthly Rubbertonic night was launched at the popular X Club. Described by BOYZ magazine as Wales’ first full-on fetish night saying at the time that it is “…going down really well, as have most of the members”. Despite its rubber name, the event attracted a mixed leather and rubber crowd.

Martin from Cardiff, a local bloke-in-the-know, remembers at the time that there was a “gang of young hot lads in tight leather jeans, army boots, bare chested with a harness… enjoying the touch and feel of each other on the dance floor. And they we’re hot! Don’t ask me where they are now.”

Within a year, Dragon’s Lair launched, again at the Club X venue on Charles Street.

Held every last Thursday of the Month the event was billed as “men-only” aiming to cater for “guys of all tastes”*. All fetish wear was welcome, from leather to skins, rubber, boot boys to army. Running until 3am for a school night, entry was advertised at £3. After the launch, any coverage of the night sadly couldn’t be found.

And then things fell quiet. An extensive internet search and through the LeatherWest archive results showing little on the leather radar.

The Eagle Has Landed

So from the early days of the new century we have to fast forward to recent years, with the establishment of The Eagle in 2010. Housed in a new basement location, right in the centre of Cardiff gay quarter in Charles Street, the traditional gay drag in the Welsh capital had a new resident.

It was the first time ever in gay Welsh history that a bar aimed at the fetish community opened with a catchy phrase “Be Yourself Tonight”. Any bar with the name The Eagle is synonymous with leather, bikers and a good dose of man-kink - a tradition going way back to the 1960s.

Immediately the bar launched with a dedicated leather and rubber night, gaining some following among leathermen in South Wales and further afield in the West Country. Even being featured in national gay magazines.

Adding something to the Cardiff and Welsh scene not seen before, bar boss, Haydn Price said in QXMen: “A whole series of activities and events… …the likes of which you don’t tend to see in other gay venues in the city, so we are quite excited about the future and the difference it will bring to Cardiff.”

In the winter of 2011, a ‘flash mob’ was organised seeing local leathermen on both the Welsh and English shores of the Severn descend on the bar. LeatherWest was there to cover the event.

There were signs of momentum by Easter 2012. Uniform nights had been launched, extolling local men to “Wear your favourite uniform”. There were also some one-offs events, such as “Meet Mr Rubber UK” before attending the Mr. International Rubber title contest in Chicago to represent the UK.

By September influential QXMen magazine was describing The Eagle as “The place to go in the Welsh capital for a bit of kink.”

In the October, the bar introduced a strictly men-only policy for weekends with required membership, whilst extending open hours until very late in the morning along with a new changing room. This dovetailed nicely with monthly fetish theme nights on a Saturday and a strong step in the right direction to create the right ‘buzz’.

Where Are We Today?

Throughout the whole period, one slice of gay leather culture has been going strong.

Welsh Gay bikers are numerous and well organised, with a strong, robust and energetic local branch of the Gay Biker Motorcycle Club (GMBCC) in South Wales and the borders. The local GMBCC group hold regular pub socials and supers and monthly ‘run-outs’ in the spring and summer months with Sunday being the biker day of the week.

When the summer months see leather social opportunities decrease due to lighter evenings and warmer nights, gay leather biker is at its busiest!

There’s plenty of UK renowned biker routes throughout South Wales, heavily concentrated in Wales’ border county of Monmouthshire and across to Brecon and the Beacons and down to Cardiff. Plenty of open roads in the hills, through valleys and atop plateaus.

No surprise, that given the local availability of many challenging and energetic routes ‘on your doorstep’, full of gear changes mixed with some fantastic stretches of fast open road, the gay biker community of leatherlife in Wales has always been in good health.

But is being fully leathered-up in broad daylight an issue?

Owen, a local biker in South Wales, says he regularly motors up to Brecon, stopping off at a popular rest spot in Abergavenny for a cuppa. “You can wander around fully clad in the tightest , blackest, shiniest leather with a pair of Wesco’s on, feeling horny as hell. I find as long as you’re holding a helmet, no-one batters an eyelid. I love it! Minus the helmet, I would get looks. That little helmet makes all the difference.”

Now with a cheeky grin, he adds, “I make a point of wearing ‘gay biker’ gear where I wouldn’t be out of place at a leather bar. With a helmet, in broad daylight, no one seems to notice except those in the know”, he says with a wink and a grin.

So, obviously, there’s a gay biker culture out there with its own customs and traditions which has been off the radar, so to speak. Nevertheless, it’s been going strong and getting stronger.

And so to the Future

So if gay leather biker culture has been alive and well all this time even during the absence of a leather culture for ten years, what are the portents for the future of general life life in Wales?
The first venue has opened in Cardiff in 2010 with regular nights. However, an increasing numbers of guys are attending events like the monthly Sunday Circuit and BLUF - but these are based in Bristol. The West Country’s capital is drawing the Dragons in larger numbers than in the Wales.Will this change?

Adam from Llanelli says “Around here, it’s all about not doing something on your doorstep. There’s a fair few leathermen I’ve met off Recon and Grindr. Now, they love the leather, you see, but what I get most of the time is that they haven’t got the nerve to go to a leather bar. What they really mean is they don’t want to be seen. It’s like something to be kept secret.”

Adam may have a point. Take this message into LeatherWest this week, from a new young leather guy in Cardiff, Tim, talking about missing a recent BLUF night. He was “Not confident enough to fly solo so to speak….”. In other words, if he could go with a buddy, he would.”Cardiff’s a bit of a drive for some”, says in Will in Merthyr. “Guys are well aware of what’s developing in Bristol. It’s a drive of a good hour and more, so they have to be certain the journey’s going to be worth it. If they don’t know anybody it can be, well, intimidating. If there was more happening in Cardiff they might be encouraged to go.”

Avid biker Paul in Swansea adds:”Once guys would not have gone out on their gear a couple of years ago - the only time they’d wear their gear was when hooking-up off the net or going to London for a mad weekend. There’s a fair few leather guys around here in Swansea and sometimes you see one or two out.”He agrees that younger guys and newbies to leather are being encouraged and mentored in a way not seen before. “I just wish I’d been helped along that way when I started. It’s all about confidence and numbers. Give Wales a bit of time, and we’ll see something emerge in Cardiff soon. But it takes time. I look at myself. Two years ago I wouldn’t have dared gone to a bar in my gear or a fetish night. Now I just get in there!”

A strong common thread appears: lack of confidence. Though the following story from John in the Gwent Valleys paints an upbeat picture: “I really do have to say thanks to a couple of guys for everything. A few months ago I would have never been able to go into a bar on my own. Local guys have helped me find my confidence ” In January John went to BLUF@Bristol, “Yeah, that night I realised how many friends I have now on the leather scene. Was great to feel so comfortable there which was all I could ask for!”John seems to wrap it up nicely for me. Confidence and numbers. The Leather Dragons are rising and there’s an air of self-confidence. A close-knit and supportive group they are too. That’s a good recipe for the future. The difference from previous efforts seems to be this: the growing links and support between individuals, from the ‘experienced’ to the ‘new’. Call it community building. This time it may well last and develop to put down some serious roots to build on in the same way that the gay bikers have shown it can be done.

Copy that formula and we’ll see the leather community, with the rise of the Leather Dragons, grow and develop in South Wales. And they’re brimming with confidence. Take Chris: “No leather in South Wales since 1986. But we can change….or I mean, we are changing that!”.

Links:

• In Cardiff, catch up with what The Eagle Bar is up to at their website, Facebook group and live and up-to-date on Twitter. Tel: +44 (0)29 2023 2859 or e-mail here.
• Get leathered-up and out and about this Spring and Summer on your bike! Check out Gay Bikers Motorcycle Club (GMBCC) the or e-mail: [email protected]

Missed Part I? Read it here: Rise of the Leather Dragons